A world where virtually everyone has access to YouTube or other Internet video sites, and far more immediately than he does with physical CDs – and a world where music comes and goes with ephemeral popularity, his job has become far harder.

In fact, it’s so difficult that Yankovic, who plays Sands Bethlehem Event Center at 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, says his next album is likely to be his last.

'Weird Al' Yankovic

“I have one more album on my contract, and I’m looking forward to doing more digital distribution,” Yankovic says in a call last week from his Los Angeles home. “Cause I think, particularly with what I have to do, I need to be as immediate as possible, and that means getting my material out quickly.

“So I don’t even know after this next CD if I’ll be doing any kind of traditional releases anymore because it seems like everything I do is geared more toward being online and being immediate. And I’m doing my best to figure out a way to do that.”

If the next CD is his last, it would bring an end to a run of a dozen albums in 30 years that have sold more than 12 million albums—more than any other comedy act in history – with 10 going gold or platinum. He has won three Grammy Awards and been nominated six other times.

He first hit public consciousness in 1979 with the song “My Bologna,” a parody of The Knack’s “My Sharona,” then conquered the charts in 1983 when “Eat It,” his parody of Michael Jackson’s ”Beat It,” hit No. 12 on the pop charts and went gold.

He since has had Top 50 songs with 1985’s “Like a Surgeon” (a parody of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”) 1992’s “Smells Like Nirvana” (Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”) and 1996’s “Amish Paradise” (Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”).

In fact, his songs have sometimes far outlasted the popularity of the songs he parodied. (What has Coolio done lately?)

And surprisingly, Yankovic had his biggest single ever with 2006’s “White & Nerdy” a parody of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'." It became his only Top 10 and platinum-selling song, and his latest album, 2011’s “Alpocalypse,” was his highest-charting, reaching No. 9.

But that disc has been the only one of new material that Yankovic, now 53, has put out in seven years.

“It is getting a little bit harder in terms of the parodies, because there are so many people doing parodies now on YouTube and various other places that it’s difficult to come up with an original idea, or a unique idea,” Yankovic says.

“I mean, I don’t think I’ll be the first person, or certainly not the only person, to ever do a parody of any given song, and it’s just difficult to not be perceived as dated when my parodies come out now, because everything is so immediate.

“I’m also slowing down. In the ‘80s I was releasing an album pretty much every year just because I felt like, ‘If I stop, it will all go away.’ And I don’t have the fear quite as much anymore.”

And the “Alpocalypse” tour that Yankovic will bring to the Sands Event Center is in its third year. “So it’s going to be very much like it’s been for the last couple of years,” he says with a laugh.

“But for people who haven’t seen one of my life shows before, it’s a multi-media kind of show. I’m there with the same band that I’ve had since the beginning of my career. It’s a high-energy rock show, but that’s supplemented with a ton of costume changes and film clips on a big screen.

“It’s a lot of production. There’s a lot going on and I try to give people their money’s worth.”

Yankovic says the fact that “Alpocalypse” was his highest-charting CD can be attributed to having built his audience over the years.

“I’ve been able to hold on to a lot of the audience that I had when I first started out, and now those people are bringing in friends and bringing in their family, and it seems like every tour that I do, it just gets bigger and better,” he says.

“I see multi-generational faces in the audiences. I don’t know exactly why, but it seems like when you become a fan, you just kind of hang in there, it looks like.” And young people continue to discover his music, Yankovic says.

“My fan base has always been fairly young. In fact, when I first started out in the ‘80s it was almost exclusively adolescent boys. And that’s expanded widely since then, but it seems like at a certain age, kids appreciate that kind of humor, that kind of irreverence.

“When I was like 13 years old I was crazy about Mad magazine. So I think that’s always been the absolute core of my audience. But my humor, I like to think, appeals to a lot of different people on different levels, as well.”

As for that final album, Yankovic says he’s working on material now – he was at his computer, editing a song when he took the phone call – but declines to talk about what interests him in music these days.

“It’s hard for me to answer that question without using what I might be doing on the next album,” he says with a laugh. “You know, I never run out of source material because there’s always something ridiculous to make fun of in pop music. So I don’t really want to get into specifics here, but I’ll never lack for material.

“So I am actively working on the next album, and there’s no way of saying when it’s going to be out, but hopefully sometime in the next 30 or 40 years.”

Very misleading headline ... he is altering his media and timing, not retiring. AND you spelled his album WRONG! It is Alpocalypse. It has his name in it!!

Posted By: Anon | Jun 3, 2013 10:49:23 AM

Hey - do some research - the album's name was
ALpocalypse - get it- his name is AL... lol...

What do they teach in Journalism school?

Posted By: jgkojak | Jun 3, 2013 10:55:42 AM

Thanks for all your catches on the errors. They should be fixed now.

Posted By: John J. Moser | Jun 3, 2013 11:01:02 AM

You spelled his name "Yancovic" in one spot.

Posted By: bob | Jun 3, 2013 11:50:22 AM

It speaks to Weird Al's fan base that his last album sold so well despite it sucking so hard.

It was even worse than Poodle Hat and Alapalooza

Posted By: Steve | Jun 3, 2013 1:52:34 PM

Horribly misleading title. And as far as Alpocalypse being his only album in 7 years, it makes it sound like he hasnt done anything. Keep in mind his digital releases. Whatever You Like came out in 2008, 4 other tracks followed in 2009. He started touring in 2010, which severely limits him because he tries to not write while on tour. So if you look at it, he only took a short break between Straight Outta Lynwood and the subsequent two year tour. And since he only took 2009 off from touring, hes been on the road for 5 out of the 6.5 years since SOL performing 357 shows across the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and The Netherlands. And dont forget the web show he did on the Nerdist channel last year. I'd say that he has done more than just sit around as your article implies.

Posted By: mike minnick | Jun 3, 2013 4:16:03 PM

Been a fan since 1978 before he had a record contract. Figured I'd have heard if Al was hanging up his hat. Not surprised that the title was simply misleading. As for his supposed lack of work the past 7 years, I echo Mike Minnick's list of Al's many other obligations. Let's add on the numerous other media he's produced -- from podcasts to children's books to television appearances of all sorts. Oh and yeah, he's also married now and has a daughter. Glad to see he keeps his priorities straight and no longer puts out an album a year. Give the guy a break. ;)

The comments to this entry have been closed.

JOHN J. MOSER has been around long enough to have seen the original Ramones in a small club in New Jersey, U2 from the fourth row of a theater and Bob Dylan's born-again tours. But he also has the number for All-American Rejects' Nick Wheeler on his cell phone, wrote the first story ever done on Jack's Mannequin and hung out in Wiz Khalifa's hotel room.

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

JODI DUCKETT: As The Morning Call's assistant features editor responsible for entertainment, she spends a lot of time surveying the music landscape and sizing up the Valley's festivals and club scene. She's no expert, but enjoys it all — especially artists who resonated in her younger years, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Tracy Chapman, Santana and Joni Mitchell.

KATHY LAUER-WILLIAMS enjoys all types of music, from roots rock and folk to classical and opera. Music has been a constant backdrop to her life since she first sat on the steps listening to her mother’s Broadway LPs when she was 2. Since becoming a mother herself, she has become well-versed on the growing genre of kindie rock and, with her son in tow, can boast she has seen a majority of the current kid’s performers from Dan Zanes to They Might Be Giants.

STEPHANIE SIGAFOOS: A Jersey native raised in Northeast PA, she was reared in a house littered with 8-tracks, 45s and cassette tapes of The Beatles, Elvis, Meatloaf and Billy Joel. She also grew up on the sounds of Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw and can be found traversing the countryside in search of the sounds of a steel guitar. A fan of today's 'new country,' she digs mainstream/country-pop crossovers like Lady Antebellum and Sugarland and other artists that illustrate the genre's diversity.